The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) recommended Ireland enter a six-week lockdown with Level 5 restrictions. NPHET sent a letter of recommendations to the Irish government, who officially announced the restrictions last night.
As of midnight, Wednesday October 21st, all of Ireland will be placed on Level 5. News has come as the country is placed on Level 5 of the Plan for Living with COVID. Ireland will return to a state of lockdown that is similar to March and we will list some of the new restrictions here.
People will have to travel within 5km of their home and public transport will only be for essential workers. Public transport will operate at 25% capacity for the purposes of allowing those providing essential services to get to work.
Only essential retail such as supermarkets will remain open. The hospitality industry will also see further restrictions. Bars, cafes and restaurants will require to operate again on a takeaway basis only. Wet pubs in Dublin remain closed.
Gyms and senior amateur sports training will be stopped. Children’s non-contact training can continue in outdoor pods of 15. People can exercise within a radius of 5 km of their home. All other training activities should be individual only.
25 guests can attend wedding ceremonies and receptions, while 10 can attend to mourn at a funeral. No outdoor gatherings can happen and there should be no visits to other people’s homes or gardens. Religious services will be available online while museums, galleries and other cultural attractions will remain closed.
With the restrictions having a significant impact on businesses and job losses to follow, the PUP Payment has been restructured. People who earned more than €400 prior to the virus, will see the €350 payment restored.
People will should be getting ready for festive spirit but will have to staying safe a priority, this year. The Public Health body also admit that despite the Level 5 lockdown and dramatic fall in cases, they are forecast to slowly spike again to around 300 a day by January.
